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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Murphy does non-fiction so well, and his book about the unlikely truce on Christmas Day, 1914 by soldiers along the Western Front inspires hope during yet another war.
Not sure this event needed a whole book. I did learn that after the truce many of the participants eased up on their desire to fight. They had humanized their enemy. It was great to see the photos, both of the war and the truce. These poor guys just wanted to go home.
Presents some background (albeit biased) on the events leading up to World War I and then focuses on the unofficial truce between warring nations fighting in the trenches during the Christmas season. I was surprised to find that in some places the truce continued through the Spring.
Appropriate grades 6-8th.
Presents maps, a timeline, reading list, and footnotes.
Appropriate grades 6-8th.
Presents maps, a timeline, reading list, and footnotes.
An account of the peace between opposing sides in the trenches on Christmas Day. The author does a great job of succinctly explaining the factors that led to war, while also underscoring what a pointless slaughter World War 1 turned out to be, and to what degree the war really started over nothing and continued to be a hive of miscommunication and waste. Quotes from soliders and photos liven up the story of how the men in the trenches began to see that the enemy was a lot like them, and how hard it was for them to keep shooting after spending Christmas day together. A fantastic book to promote values of peace in kids just beginning to learn about war.
Truce: The Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting was written by Jim Murphy. This book is the story about how on Christmas Day during World War I soldiers made a truce to stop fighting for the day to celebrate the holiday. Murphy details the history of how the war began due to the powerful German economy and military. Eventually the other countries became annoyed with Germany which led to war. The truce on Christmas Day happened on the Western Front trenches during a time of trench warfare. According to Murphy, the truce only lasted for the one day and the war raged on.
This was an interesting story because throughout the story the reader is exposed to the “what if” question. This leads young readers to not only learn the history of World War I through a different lens, but also helps them to become critical thinkers. The thing I liked most about this book was that it used actual photos from the war which also helps the reader envision it better. As a future educator, I will use this in my class when discussing the history of World War I because I think it gives an interesting perspective on the war.
This was an interesting story because throughout the story the reader is exposed to the “what if” question. This leads young readers to not only learn the history of World War I through a different lens, but also helps them to become critical thinkers. The thing I liked most about this book was that it used actual photos from the war which also helps the reader envision it better. As a future educator, I will use this in my class when discussing the history of World War I because I think it gives an interesting perspective on the war.
It the story of the WWI Christmas Peace Truce for young readers (middle school). Murphy explores the necessity of demonizing the enemy during warfare. The epilogue talks about the Iraq war in light of this conflict. It's part straight history and part morality lesson.
adventurous
informative
inspiring
This book started with a little background on why World War I began and talked a little about the ways this war was fought and how it differed from wars that came before it. Then it moved on to that Christmas Eve and Christmas Day during December 1914 that the men stopped fighting with a temporary, informal truce. This book has actual photographs of the Germans and the British together during the truce and first-hand accounts from letters and journal entries.
There were several things I learned: there were different areas all along the Western Front that stopped fighting, over a hundred; along with celebrating Christmas, they used the cease-fire to bury their dead and hold memorial services...some were combined with both Germans and British; the higher up officers on both sides were livid about the cease-fire and punished many that were responsible afterward; and there was one area, Ploegsteert Wood in Belgium, that actually kept their truce until almost Easter! Fascinating read.
There were several things I learned: there were different areas all along the Western Front that stopped fighting, over a hundred; along with celebrating Christmas, they used the cease-fire to bury their dead and hold memorial services...some were combined with both Germans and British; the higher up officers on both sides were livid about the cease-fire and punished many that were responsible afterward; and there was one area, Ploegsteert Wood in Belgium, that actually kept their truce until almost Easter! Fascinating read.
I think this book could be used to show cause and effect organization of nonfiction writing. I think this book did a good job at providing the reader multiple perspective of what happened (and what could have happened) during WWI. I think this would be a great text for Socratic circles.
hopeful
informative
medium-paced